Re: Xenon main/dip beam bulbs

From: Theo Kyriacou
email: theo@lanciagammaforum.com
Date: 05 Jun 2006
Time: 14:38

Message

NO! is the short answer. Presumably you mean the standard 55W bulbs that are supposed to deliver 30% more light. They don't, I've tried lots of different types and colour temperatures and they are useless. The biggest problem with Gamma lights is the loss of voltage from the switch to the bulb. Check it and if you have 10V at the bulb you're lucky. The simple solution, assuming your headlamp reflectors are OK, is the addition of relays to switch 12V (14.4V really) battery voltage to high wattage bulbs. Some earlier Gamma headlamps had H4 bulbs and you can get those up to 130W. Most newer Gammas take H1 bulbs (single filament) and they are available up to 100W. There may be higher wattage bulbs available from specialists but not places like Halfords. You must make sure that your relays and wiring are up to the job of delivering up to 10 Amps to the high wattage bulbs. What I have also seen on eBay are actual HID Xenon kits with the proper 35W high voltage discharge bulbs. The cheapest kit is well over £100 and I decided I didn't want the headlamps on my Gamma to be worth more than the car! But if anyone has fitted one of these kits to any car I'd like to know how good they are.